CHESTER: Townhouse Hotel reopens after £200k refurb

The Chester Townhouse, situated in Lower Bridge Street, within the Chester city walls and just a few steps away from the River Dee and The Groves reopened on Monday (February 12).

It has undergone a significant £200,000 plus investment, with the entire hotel having a full refurbishment, re-establishing as a Bed and Breakfast hotel and the ‘place to be’ for quintessential afternoon teas.

With more than 30 years experience in the hospitality sector the owner of The Chester Townhouse Steven Hesketh is delighted to see the doors to this stunning venue re-open to the public.

He said; “As many know, the hospitality industry is facing unprecedented changes and this meant that in 2022, we sadly had to close the doors to the public at The Townhouse, due to a combination of; large cost increases, a sudden and swift decrease in general consumer demand and tough staff recruitment and retention realities.

"So, as responsible and experienced business owners, we made the tough decision to temporarily close the doors to the public and make relevant changes to protect the business for the longer term and now, we are delighted to announce we are reopening and looking forward to welcoming customers back to our fresh and refurbished new space.”

Steven Hesketh (Image: Chocolate PR)

"I had predicted a slow start and quiet Valentine's Day, however we have been full every night since we opened on Monday!"

During Covid, The Chester Townhouse’s terrace became a rather popular spot, with people from across the region gathering to socialise outside and Steven is excited to share that; “a new look outside terrace will also be opening in March just in time for summer soirees".

The Chester Townhouse revealed exciting plans to re-open in January and shared parts of the renovation on social media platform, Facebook.

Steven, who is a multi-hotel owner, is also the chair of Chester Hospitality Association and vice-chair of Liverpool Hospitality (Association) and Committee Member for UK Hospitality (Northern Region).

He is continually flying the flag for the North West. Steven has also developed a new strand to his 30-year hospitality career, stepping out as The Hospitality
Hero (‘https://www.thehospitalityhero.com/).

This month announced that he will be collaborating with Downtown in Business to support the Visitor Economy and hospitality venues across the DIB network over the next two-years.

The chief executive and Group chairman of Downtown Frank McKenna said: “We are delighted to have teamed up with one of the most dynamic and passionate supporters of the hugely important hospitality sector, Steven Hesketh.

"His ‘Hospitality Hero’ brand will add genuine value to the sector, and when he approached us to support his efforts, we were delighted to get involved.”

Downtown will be helping Steven and his team promote the Hospitality Hero conferences, many based in the North West, and the new Hospitality Hero online training courses.

Together they will also be hosting a series of Roundtable events and forums across the country, focussing on what can be done to support, protect, and grow the Visitor Economy. 

Taking on his role as a champion for the industry, Steven is passionate about using his local venue, The Chester Townhouse, to train younger generations and also promote successful careers in hospitality.

Steven said: “Leaving school with very few qualifications, I always struggled academically and believe I had (and still have) dyslexia.

"Embracing the hospitality industry I built my career working in customer facing roles, hosting and welcoming guests, and organising social events and activities for them, as Activities Co-ordinator.

"This gave me so much knowledge and experience. Five years after my first job in hospitality, I decided to return to England from Australia with three of my mates and I found myself working in corporate hospitality in Chester — I loved the atmosphere and buzz of things like Chester Races that brought people together from far and wide, and was hooked.

“I went on to work across Industry for the next 17 years. I took on management training programmes to work up to the role of GM, whilst also experiencing hands-on roles in the restaurants and bar areas too and I was also developed to upskill on the sales side of the industry, something I highly valued.

“My first job was as a window cleaner at a timeshare on the Gold Coast and I am now an award-winning hospitality expert – I am a passionate advocate for the industry and will shout from the rooftops that hospitality is a great industry to work in.”

If you would like to find out more about how you can join the team at The Townhouse Chester, please visit: www.chestertownhouse.com